Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling does.

2: A Disturbed Night

That night Teddy struggled to sleep. He stared through the darkness at the wall opposite him, squinting at the wallpaper and counting the stripes. It had been the worst Christmas holiday ever, he decided glumly, and with each day that had passed he had become increasingly convinced that something just wasn't right with his parents. He no longer accepted their dismissive comments about his mother's long hours at work. There was something strange going on there, he was sure of it, something was wrong, very wrong indeed. He saw it on his father's face when they played at Exploding Snap and chatted over lunch each day. Remus would listen and speak to him and yet Teddy was sure that his mind was on something else entirely. There was something worrying the professor, the boy mused as he stared up at the ceiling. It was clear in his eyes, often they seemed to glaze over and he would become lost in thought for long minutes, then he would sigh heavily and shake his head. Teddy had caught him pacing up and down in the kitchen on several occasions and when he stopped to lean casually against the counter he would rock uneasily back and forth upon his heels. Teddy found this all rather unnerving, for usually his father was quite possibly the calmest and most laid back person in the world.

Tonks was little better, that much was clear even from their brief moments together each morning and evening. She seemed to hug him far more often than normal, Teddy recalled, and he was forever bemused by her new found need to constantly tell him how much she loved him. It was not that he disliked such declarations, they were nice, he supposed, but to hear them so frequently was a bit on the excessive side and, Teddy admitted as he shifted to try and get more comfortable under the duvet, frankly downright strange. When together his parents seemed to act relatively normally, but they were keen to send him to bed promptly each night, and spent evenings huddled around the kitchen table, clutching each others hands across the surface as if they feared they were about to be torn apart, speaking in hushed, dark tones that immediately brightened when Teddy entered the room.

Yes, Teddy concluded worriedly. There was something wrong.

At 1:23am, according to the quietly ticking alarm clock beside his bed, Teddy heard a door open out on the landing followed by soft footsteps as somebody, Remus he imagined from the pace, headed down the stairs to get a drink. Teddy listened to hear his father returning to bed, but he heard nothing for ten long minutes. Then he heard the door to his parents' bedroom open again and a second set of footsteps as Tonks too made her way down the stairs. There then followed an even longer period of silence as neither parent returned to bed.

After over half an hour Teddy's curiosity got the better of him and he got out of bed and crept out onto the landing, listening for any signs of movement downstairs. The house was deathly quiet and, feeling more curios than ever, the boy made his way down the stairs, careful to avoid the final step that he knew always creaked. The door to the living room was ajar and he could hear hushed voices and the sound of somebody pouring a drink into a glass coming from within. Creeping to the door, Teddy peered into the room, holding his breath in his attempt to stay quiet. The small lamp beside his father's armchair had been lit, bathing the scene before him in a soft golden glow. Remus was sat slouched in the chair, bottle of Firewhisky balanced precariously between his knees, a generous glassful of the amber liquid held in one hand. Teddy found the sight alarmingly familiar to one of the memories he had witnessed in the Pensieve before Christmas; a bitter and restless Sirius Black sat in the drawing room of the Order's Headquarters, mocking his best friend and cousin about their plans for Valentine's Day. Teddy shuddered at the thought, grimacing further when Remus downed the glass in two large gulps and set about refilling it. Tonks was stood studying the books in the nearby bookcase absentmindedly, trailing a finger along the spines. She paused and turned to look at her husband when he announced:

"I can't help it, Dora. I'm going to say it."

Teddy watched her turn on her heel to look at Remus, arms folded firmly across her chest as if daring him to continue. Unwisely, Teddy guessed, he chose to do so anyway.

"I can't stand your job." He told her bluntly.

Teddy, who knew full well just how much his mother adored her job and refused to hear a word against it, cringed in anticipation of the fury that was no doubt about to be unleashed upon his father for such a frank confession. But to his surprise Tonks let out a quiet chuckle as she walked to stand just in front his father and reached to pluck the glass from his hand.

"You have to substitute good old fashioned Gryffindor courage for the liquid kind in order to say that to me?" she asked, grabbing the bottle too and depositing them both on the coffee table. She perched on the arm of the chair and wrapped one arm around his shoulders, other hand coming to rest upon his knee.

"I spend all day on edge," Remus complained, hand resting on top of hers as his head came to rest against her side. "I know things like this happen often enough, but I can't help it, I really can't, it makes me anxious and restless, and I keeping wondering how much longer I can go on pretending all is well because it is hard enough staying at home with Teddy, I'll be back at work tomorrow, how in Merlin's name am I to keep it up then?" When Tonks merely pressed a firm kiss to his temple, grip on him tightening he sighed heavily. "What am I saying anyway?" he mumbled, thumb scuffing her hand as she remained silent. "It's so much worse for you and yet I sit here and complain about the time I've been having."

"I dunno, I think we both have it equally as bad," Tonks reasoned. "I mean I'd hate to be stuck having to pretend nothing's happening like you are, knowing there was nothing I could do about it. I'd go mad!"

"Just promise me you'll be extra careful."

"Remus we've gone over this a hundred times…"

"Promise me, Dora."

"I'm always careful, you know that!"

"I know, but you still need to be extra careful."

Tonks gave a small sigh, but smiled nevertheless.

"Constant Vigilance!" she quoted, sniggering at the infamous phrase, but Remus only said:

"Exactly."

"Merlin you're getting paranoid!" Tonks accused, leaning to retrieve the glass of firewhiskey from the coffee table.

"I know," Remus agreed, exasperated by the truth in her words. "I know and it's ridiculous of me."

Teddy felt relieved to hear this confession of melodrama, but was alarmed when Tonks quietly replied:

"No it's not. It feel almost like we're at war again, except we're older and have more to loose and so we struggle to push emotion to the back of our minds."

"Don't," Remus muttered, frowning at the notion. "It's nothing like it, not even close…" he trailed off into silence when Tonks shifted closer to him and admitted:

"I feel afraid…sometimes…"

"There's nothing wrong with that." Remus told her, reaching to smooth her dishevelled hair reassuringly. "We just need to try to carry on as normal. It'll all blow over soon enough."

"Yeah," she agreed, suddenly sounding far more sure of herself. "Ex-Order members like us, it should be a breeze!" she took a sip of firewhisky before offering it to him, but he shook his head.

"You finish it," he said with a smile. "I've had at least one too many as it is."

"Alcoholic," she teased, before draining the glass and reaching to put it back on the table.

"It'll make me sleep." He reasoned, gripping her arm as she narrowly avoided toppling off of the arm of the chair.

"Is that what you'll tell Minerva when she catches you knocking them back in your office?"

"Of course not!" he cried, giving her a playful shove on the arm before adding roguishly, "I'm much too subtle for her to find out."

Tonks got to her feet, giggling as she stooped to retrieve the heavy black book that lay upon the floor beside the chair.

"You're gonna have your work cut out teaching Teddy this lot!" she commented, flicking through the pages with an amused smile.

"I'm not entirely sure if that is a wise idea." Remus muttered, though he too grinned as he stood up and reached to put his arms around his wife, looking down at the book over her shoulder.

"I tried to explain to him how dodgy some of these old spells can be and how there would be no chance in hell that you'd agree to teach them to him, but he insisted on buying it for you anyway."

"That's probably because that doesn't rule out him attempting them for himself."

Tonks' eyes widened as she paused upon a page and read a few lines.

"Merlin, you better make a point of forbidding him to do that!" she breathed, pointing at whatever had alarmed her so much.

"That probably won't help." Remus said with a frown. "He's the son of a Marauder, curiosity and disobedience are in his blood."

"You always say he's well behaved at school."

"Mostly, yes, but he does seem to have developed a taste for sneaking around and breaking into my office when I'm not around." The frown upon Remus' brow deepened as he mused: "Maybe I should insist he gives the Map back to me, that way it'll be harder for him next time."

Tonks laughed, turning another page and running her eyes down the text.

"You could always set wards on the book." She suggested. "Or remember the wards on your office for once in your life, like every other sensible teacher! I wouldn't worry anyway, this is pretty advanced stuff, I doubt a third year would get far with it."

As they continued to examine the book, Teddy backed away from the door, head swimming with questions about what they had been talking about, why had his mother felt the need to be afraid, why did his father have to pretend all was well, what exactly had happened to make him so unhappy with Tonks' job? Teddy stood lost in thought at the bottom of the stairs for a long minute, only to be snapped back to reality by the sound of his mother's laughter.

"I should buy you Firewhisky more often!" he heard her exclaim through her laughter. "Makes you lethargic, you're easier to tease!"

Remus' reply was too muffled for Teddy to hear, but Tonks laughed even more at whatever had been said. He did however hear Tonks suggesting that, since Remus appeared to have achieved the slightly inebriated state he had been aiming for in order to coax himself into getting a few hours sleep that night, they probably ought go back to bed because they needed to be up early to catch Teddy's train. At the sound of their approaching footsteps Teddy hurried to hide in the kitchen. Shivering at the sensation of bare feet on cool kitchen tiles, he listened to their slow ascent of the stairs. He decided to wait a few minutes before going back to bed himself, just to make sure they didn't catch him. As he gazed aimlessly around the kitchen his eyes came to rest upon the rubbish bin and he recalled Tonks' odd behaviour earlier with the newspaper. Teddy wandered over and opened the lid, staring down at the crumpled Evening Prophet as it lay amongst the family's discarded rubbish. Face contorting in disgust, Teddy reached into the bin, careful to avoid the remains of the pasta that had constituted dinner for Remus and himself, though looking back on it, Teddy thought, Remus had done little more than move it around his plate. He picked up the newspaper and, wiping off the tomato sauce from one dog-eared corner, moved towards the kitchen table to have a read.

THREATENED HEAD OF AURORS REFUSES TO BE INTIMIDATED

The Ministry has today released an official statement from the Head of the Auror Department, Nymphadora Lupin, following the disturbing rumours that surfaced two weeks ago after the arrest and imprisonment of runaway Death Eater Thorfinn Rowle. Within days of making the arrest of Rowle, who had evaded capture since the Battle of Hogwarts, sources informed the Prophet that Mrs. Lupin had received a number of death threats against both herself and her family. In the statement, Mrs. Lupin, a former member of the Order of the Phoenix, said that though the threats were deeply upsetting for all concerned she and her husband were relatively unfazed by the threats.

"You get this sort of thing a lot in my line of work," she told reporters outside of the Ministry of Magic this morning. "Of course we must make a point of being alert and cautious in light of the current situation, but my husband and I feel that it is important to continue life as normal. We have lived through a war during which we were both prime targets for Death Eaters and the corrupt government of the day, and as such we do not pander to intimidation of any kind."

The Lupins' resolve to go about life as usual appears to be set in stone as on Christmas Eve Professor Lupin, teacher of Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School and himself a former Order member, was seen dropping off their son Theodore at the house of a family friend earlier this week. When approached and asked to comment on the threats made against him, the professor insisted that as distressing as the whole business was, he had no intention of allowing Christmas with his family to be spoilt. When asked what plans he had for his son considering recent events, Professor Lupin mirrored his wife's assertion that routine was the key.

"My wife and I will not hesitate to send Theodore back to school at the end of the holidays," he said. "Hogwarts is the safest place for him and it is important that he does not fall behind other students in his year." Professor Lupin refused to comment any further about his son, but did confirm that he too would return to Hogwarts once the festive season was over. There has yet to have been reports detailing the precise nature of the threats made against the family, nor has the Auror Department made any announcements regarding the perpetrators, though Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt is said to be set on tracking those responsible down as swiftly as possible. The Minister is known to be a close friend of the Lupin family as well as many other families connected to the Order of the Phoenix, including that of Harry Potter. Speaking of the Order upon his appointment as Minister of Magic a number of years ago, Mr. Shacklebolt spoke of the continued sense of comradeship between the members:

"The Order of the Phoenix is essentially one big extended family. Although officially it no longer exists its members and their families share very strong bonds that will no doubt last a lifetime."

It would appear that the Order has, true to the Minister's word, rallied around the Lupins. Aurors Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley have noticeably increased their hours at work, whilst sources within Hogwarts School report that Headmistress Minerva McGonagall has offered Professor Lupin temporary leave of his post should he require it at any time.

Such serious threats have been very rare indeed since the Battle of Hogwarts that saw the end of the War, and the wizarding community waits for news of any developments in the Ministry's investigation.

By the time he had finished reading this startling report, Teddy found that he felt bemused rather than horrified. How on earth could such a thing have really happened and he not hear a word about it?

But then he began to cast his mind back over the past few weeks and it became apparent that his parents had clearly been careful to ensure that he did not get wind of the troubling events. With the exception of that evening Teddy could not recall seeing a single newspaper in the house, though he knew that his father had both the Daily and Evening Prophet delivered every day. Each time Teddy had chosen to turn on the wireless in the living room he had been told to turn it off, his father had a headache, his mother wanted to talk to him about something or other, he should go and tidy his bedroom. Not once had he left the house on his own, either. Remus had escorted him everywhere, refusing to take him to Diagon Alley more than once very briefly, and rushing him through the crowds in and out of the Quidditch stadium: avoiding anybody who might give the game away. When the post arrived each morning his mother would jump to her feet and dash to fetch it before he could offer to do so himself. At the shock realisation that his parents had in fact gone to long lengths to protect him from the frightening truth, Teddy felt panic erupt through him like the Hogwarts Express speeding through a tunnel. Quite suddenly the cold, dim kitchen seemed terribly ominous and he found himself with a mad urge to bolt back upstairs and plead with his parents to let him sleep in their bed for the night, together, protected and safe.

Pull yourself together, a voice inside his head demanded. If it were really so bad they would have had to tell you about it because you'd all be going into hiding!

Teddy shuddered at the very idea, but felt himself calming slightly. He took a series of deep, relaxing breaths and resolved to go to bed and ask his mother to explain things in the morning. Surely they meant to tell him something at some point, for he would hear all sorts when back at school, he mused as he crept out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Or perhaps, his more apprehensive side considered, they had not thought the threat all that serious and had expected it to be gone by the time the holidays were over…

When he finally climbed into bed again some minutes later, Teddy's brief calm had evaporated and the fear was back with vengeance. He pulled the duvet up over his head, shielding himself from the darkness of his bedroom and tried best to go to sleep. How long he lay there staring into the black of his eyelids he did not know, but his unease continued to build up as his imagination ran away with him. When he heard a noise outside of his bedroom, he gasped in horror and, hand clamped over his mouth, nails digging into his cheek in apprehension, he listened hard….

THUD!

Terror overcame him and, eyes screwed shut Teddy let the hand fall from his mouth and hollered:

"Mum!!! Dad!!!"

And then he clamped his hands over his ears, waiting for his salvation.

It was some minutes before the duvet was pulled from his head and he opened his eyes only to be momentarily blinded by the sight of his father's lit wand.

"Teddy…?" Remus reached to rest a reassuring hand on his shoulder and Teddy glanced past him out into the dark, empty hallway.

"Where's Mum?!" he demanded, attempting to sit up to see more clearly, but Remus' grip upon his shoulder tightened, holding him in place.

"She's just this second left for the Ministry, Kingsley sent his patronus…"

"No! No, she can't go, don't let her, Dad, don't let her!"

"She'll be back in time to take you to the station…" Remus told him calmly, though he frowned at the franticness of his son's voice.

"Go and get her back!" Teddy pleaded, gripping the front of his father's faded pyjamas hysterically. She can't leave us! It isn't safe!"

For the briefest of seconds a look passed over Remus' features that suggested he would indeed jump up and run after his wife, but as soon as it was there it was gone again. He reached to straighten Teddy's pillows and rearranged the duvet.

"Did you have a nightmare, Teddy?" he asked gently, and Teddy barely restrained himself from blurting all that he knew. He would not, he decided quickly, he would not, could not admit to what he knew. It would only upset his parents further.

"Yeah…I did." He decided, and Remus nodded understandingly.

"What was it about?" the werewolf asked, settling himself on the edge of the bed.

"I…You and Mum…I lost you…" he mumbled, before drawing in a deep breath and saying: "Death Eaters got you!"

Remus nodded again and reached to pat him reassuring on the shoulder.

"Well that can't possibly happen. For one thing the Death Eaters no longer really exist. I know we refer to them often enough, but with Voldemort dead they have crumbled."

"But…but not all of them were caught after the Battle, the Ministry are still looking for a few of them, right? What about them? They might…might do something!"

Remus was silent for a long moment, staring at Teddy thoughtfully and the boy couldn't help but feel that he had seen the truth behind the words. He was convinced that Remus guessed he knew something, but the father refused to acknowledge his clear suspicion for he said:

"There are so few of them, Teddy, I can't possibly see them coming after anybody, let alone the Head of the Auror Department. If I were them I certainly wouldn't pick fights with your mother, she is much too fine a dueller and she has an entire force of Aurors behind her." He grinned as he added: "Besides, her stinging jinxes are particularly painful."

"What about you?" Teddy asked, and Remus shrugged dismissively, reaching to tuck the duvet more firmly about the child.

"Teddy," he said as he took hold of his son's hand reassuringly. "In all my years since I first joined the Order I have had countless run-ins with Death Eaters and though on occasion I got hurt, I can't say they ever injured me severely enough that I could have died because of it."

"You're too skilled for them." Teddy concluded, feeling a surge of pride in his father's ability.

"Admittedly some of us are better duellers than others, yes, but I wouldn't ever assume I were any better than them. However where the Death Eaters have fallen the Order has stayed strong. I daresay if I were to send for any former members they would come within the blink of an eye, though I don't imagine for a moment I would ever need to! So, we are all perfectly safe." With that the werewolf rose to his feet. "Now get some sleep," he told hisson who now felt far more relaxed. "You'll need to be up nice and early to help me drag your mother out of bed, I daresay she'll be exhausted by the time she gets back."

"Night Dad." Teddy called as Remus headed towards the door.

"Goodnight Teddy."

"Dad…?"

"Hm?"

"I love you."

The light of Remus' wand went out as he replied:

"I love you too. Sweet dreams."

The next morning Teddy was awoken by his alarm clock and, despite his lack of sleep, the boy was quick to get out of bed. He padded out of his room and banged a fist on the door of his parents' bedroom.

"Rise and shine!" he called through the white painted wood. "Quick Mum, else I'm gonna steal the bathroom!"

When no response came from within Teddy sighed and pushed the door open.

"Mum, Dad?" he called questioningly, only to find the room vacant, bed already made. He was impressed that Tonks had managed to get out of bed so early, for though he had not fallen asleep for a long while once Remus had left him that night, he had not heard her return. She must have been gone for ages, he mused as he wandered down the stairs, mouth watering at the smell of fried bacon and eggs, the customary breakfast before returning to school.

"I can't believe Dad got you out of bed!" Teddy cried as he entered the kitchen to find his father stood before the stove. "You were gone ages…" he trailed off at the sight of the empty seats around the dining table. As Remus turned to look at him, Teddy frowned deeply. "Where's Mum?" he asked, and Remus was quick to turn his attention back to the bacon.

"She…had to work." He mumbled, depositing the bacon onto the waiting plate. It was, Teddy noted, burnt to a crisp.

"Why?" the boy asked, feeling instantly hurt. His mother had always accompanied him to the station.

"Sit down," his father instructed quietly, as if he had not heard the question. "Breakfast's ready."

There was something strangely fragile about the composed expression upon Remus' face, and so Teddy obediently went and sat down at the table.

"You having some, Dad?" he asked when Remus set the plate down before him.

"No, I'm not particularly hungry."

Teddy stabbed at the yolk of his friend egg and watched it dribble out over the white.

"Did…did Mum even come home at all last night?" he asked, and Remus turned on his heel and headed towards the kitchen sink, reaching for the frying pan and dumping it into the sink.

"I'm sure she did, she said she would do after all."

"So she came back to bed, then?"

"Probably."

"What d'you mean probably? You share a bed, surely you would notice whether she did or not!"

"I was asleep. Fast asleep."

Frowning deeply, Teddy opened his mouth to ask another question, but Remus said:

"Hurry up and eat, Teddy, you still need to get dressed and we don't have that long."

And with that the professor left the room, muttering about mislaying something upstairs.